opal, moonstone (and other opaqueish stones)

[sonyachancs]

hi all!

(I'm finally moving toward setting my amethyst, but that's another story) I've recently fallen in love with the milky opaqueness of opals, moonstones, jade/ jadeite and prehnites. what are good sources for these stones? also - is there anything in particular I should look out for?

ALSO, does anyone facet these? I don't really like cabochons, which I know they come in. there are lots of faceted prehnites on gemselect, and they are gorgeous! but I am looking at options.. TIA!

 

[sonyachancs]

I've found a couple on gemselect that are faceted, but for example, is this a good stone?

 

[chrono]

The reason opals and moonstones are not faceted is due to the clarity. Once faceted, it will not sparkle at all and that luminous quality is oftentimes completely removed. In opals and moonstones, what sets the price is the colour play. In the one you showed, it is overly milky with weak colour play.

 

[mochiko42]

You can find rose cut moonstones, which I'm fond of. I have a pair of rose cut moonstone earrings from Sally who has a good supply of moonstones and other cabs and rose cuts. If you're looking for loose stones Dana at Mastercut might have something that meets your needs. Barry Bridgestock also might have some cabs that are worth checking out.

 

[T L]

I think "translucent" is another word for the kind of gems you're interested in. Some light gets through, but they're not completely clear or see-through. Some moonstone is very transparent though.